On Wednesday at 3:30 PM PT on ACC Network, Stanford women’s basketball will face Clemson in their opening round game of the ACC tournament. Stanford comes as the No. 11 seed in the tournament at 16-13 overall and 8-10 in the ACC while Clemson comes in as the No. 14 seed in the tournament at 13-16 overall and 6-12 in the ACC.
Last time out: Stanford defeated Georgia Tech on Sunday by a final score of 87-82 for Senior Day. Stanford senior guard Elena Bosgana led the way for the Cardinal with 19 points and six rebounds.
RECAP: Stanford WBB defeats Georgia Tech on Senior Day
On Clemson: The Tigers have not had a strong season, but have done enough to make the ACC tournament. They got the regular season sweep over Stanford and Cal, defeating Cal 69-58 and Stanford 65-61 (OT) back in January. After those two wins, things really went downhill as they lost four straight games and lost eight of their next nine. Currently, they’ve lost three straight games.
The Tigers continue to be led by graduate student guard Loyal McQueen, who is averaging 13.5 points and 4.9 assists per game on 43.2% shooting from the field, 38.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 85.2% shooting from the foul line. The other player scoring in double figures for the Tigers is junior guard Mia Moore, who is averaging 10.6 points per game.
As a team, the Tigers average 66.0 points per game on 42.9% shooting from the field, 34.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.3% shooting from the foul line. They average 35.3 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 5.8 steals, 2.8 blocks, and 13.8 turnovers per game. They also average a +1.8 rebound margin and a +1.1 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 64.4 points per game on 42.1% shooting from the field, 32.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 70.9% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is get their 3-ball to fall. In their overtime loss at Clemson earlier in the season, they shot 5-18 from 3-point range. They cannot expect to win this game if they struggle shooting from deep. Stanford needs to be making their 3-point shots at a healthy clip.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is push the ball in transition. It was a lower scoring game against Clemson last time and Stanford does better when the pace is faster. If Stanford plays at a pace that is better for them, that would help a lot.
Finally, Stanford needs to make their foul shots. They shot 10-19 at the foul line at Clemson earlier this season. That really hurt them. If Stanford can make their foul shots and get to the line a good deal, that would be terrific.
Prediction: I got Stanford getting even with Clemson in this one. Of course, the big question is whether or not Nunu Agara will be available for Stanford. But even if she’s not, I still like Stanford’s chances of winning. Especially since Clemson has really fallen off a cliff since their last meeting. As for a final score, I’ll say Stanford wins 72-67.
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